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y Letters .Patent No. 72,106, dated December' 10, 1867.

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If-O ALL WHOM IT MAY-CONGERN:

Be it known that we, ROBERT R. SPEDDEN and DANIELF. Srnsrcnn, of Astoria, inthe county of Clatsop, and State of Oregon, have invented a new and useful Improvement. in Propelling'Vessels, 85e.; and we do hereby declare that the followingl is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of the central part of a vessel to which our improvement has been` attached.

Figure 2 is a detail top view ofthe adjusting-slide. y

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view, showing a -modification of the slidingdeviee. A

Figure 4 is a side view'of the same.

Figure 5 is a detail sectional view, showing a modification of the ratchet-bars.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Our invention has forits 'object to furnish an improved means by which the motion oi' the waves may he used for propelling vessels, or working pumps or other machinery; and it consists in the combination of the parte by means of which the'motion of the hinged parts of the vessel or other structure is communicated to the paddle-wheel or propeller-shaft, as hereinafter more fully described.

A represents the forward, and .B'tho stern part of a. vessel, made in two parts, securely and strongly hinged to each other, so that their outer ends may move freely up and down, but can change their relativo positions in no other direction. G are two posts, (one of which is not shown in the drawing,) securely attached to und pro- ]'ccting above the part A of the vessel, in which posts are formed the bearings for the ratchetsshaft D. f l'l is a large gear-wheel, attached 4to the ratchet-shaft D, the .teeth of which mesh into the teeth' of the smaller gear w-heelF, attached to the paddle-wheel shaft Gr. H is a ratchet-wheel, securely attached to the shaft D, and to which motion is imparted by the racks I and J, which are placed and work in the rack-frame K. The rack-bars I and J are placed and secured in the rack-frame K, the one above and the other below thc ratehet-whecl E, and are held forward against the ratchet-wheel by springs, so that, as the rackframo K is movedg towards the bow of 'the vessel, the upper rack I may take hold of the said ratchet-wheel H, and impart. motion to it, while the lower rack J slides over the teeth of Ithe said ratchet-wheel; and whilc'tlie said rack-frame is moving,r in the other direction, the lower rack Jmay take hold of the `teeth of the ratchet-wheel and operate it, while the upper rack I slides over it, so that the said ratchet-wheel may be moved in the same direction, whatever he the direction in which the rack-frame K may be moving. In cases where much power is required, I prefer to make thc raek-teeth separate, as shown in red in iig. 5, cach tooth being pivoted to the frame K, so that as the rack is sliding o'verthc ratchet-wheel, it l:may not be necessary for each tooth of the said ratchet-wheel to raise the entire rack-bar. '.lufhis latter method we prefer, as greatly diminishing the friction. The rear end of the rackframe K is pivotcd to the slide L, which works up and 'down in a groove in the rocking-post M, so that by shift-Y ing the positionof the said slide, the length of the stroke may be lengthcned or shortened at pleasure, und by 'lowering it' a suiicient distance, the motion of the machinery may be entirely stopped. The position of the slide L may 'be shifted in various ways. A very convenient way todo this is shown in red in figs. 3 and 4, that A is to say, by means of a cog-wheel pivoted to the slide L, the teeth of which take hold of ruck-teeth formed upon the rocking-post M, the slide being held in any position by means of a ratchet-wheel and pawl, as shown in iig. 4. But the manner in which this is done is immaterial. The lower end of the post M is securely hinged to the part A of the vessel, so thatit may work freely as the vessel, is acted upon Uy the waves. To the upper end of tho post M is pivoted the end of the connecting-bar or pitman N, the other end of'which is pivoted to the upper endof the post which is securely and rigidly attached to thep'art B of the vessel.

The uses of this device are various. It may be attached to a sail-vessel, which is the use especially intended, orit may be attached to a light-ship, to ena-ble her to ride out a storm without straining her cables or breaking from her moorings.- One part.of the device may b'c attached to a dock or other stationary structure, and the4 other part to a float, which will enable the device to be used for working a pump, or' other similar purposes.- It may also be used instead of a crank for transmitting motion from the piston-rod of asteam-engine to the machinery to heidi-iron, enabling the engine at all times `to exert its full power upon the said machinery. In

i ease the paddle-wheels are attached tothe after part oi the vessel, or if n propeller-screw is used, the position ofthe device should be changed, the stationery post O being attached to the forward part of the vessel, `and the other parts being attached to the stern part of said vessel..

In some eases it may be advisable to have' the pparatus so constructed that the movement of the machinery may be reversed This may be done in various ways. A. convenient means for reversing the motion is tehzwe two ratchet-wheels attaehedto the ratchet-shaft, with teeth pointing in oppositovdirections, and to have two sets A of rack-bars or rack-'teeth attached to the rack-freine. l Then by connecting levers *to the said rack-bars, either set may be moved away from the rntchet-wheels, and the motion VYthus reversed as desiredY But for ordinary purposes, this arrangement will not be required.

We vclaim ns new, and desire to secure by Letters :Patent-` l1. The combination of the rack-frame K, racks I and J, andV ratchet-wheel H,.With each other and with a. shaft, D, for the purpose of applying power to'said shaft, substantially ns herein shown and described.

2. The eombinationof the stationary postO, pitnmn N, rocking-post M, and adjustable slidoL, with erich other, with the rack-frame K, and with the hinged parts of a'. vessel or other structure, one or both of seid hinged parts oeting in the water, so as to be noted upon by the motion ot the waves, substantially as'herein shown and described. .A

ROBERT R. SPEDDEN, f DANIEL F. STAFFORD.

Witnesses:

C. M. ScAMMoN, A. VAN DUsEN. 

